Capacitance Converter – Convert F, µF, nF, pF, fF and More
The Capacitance Converter is a free online tool that instantly converts capacitance values between seven standard units — from femtofarads to kilofarads — covering the full practical range encountered in electronics, telecommunications, and power engineering. Whether you are reading a component datasheet, designing a filter circuit, or verifying a spice simulation, this converter delivers precise, real-time results with configurable decimal precision.
All conversions normalize through the Farad (F) as the SI base unit. Every cross-unit conversion follows the formula:
result = inputValue × (fromUnitFactor / toUnitFactor)
Because all seven units use exact powers of 10 relative to the Farad, every conversion is mathematically precise within the limits of IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic (approximately 15 significant digits). For very large or very small values the tool automatically switches to scientific notation.
Supported Capacitance Units
The converter spans the complete practical range of capacitance found in modern electronics, from femtofarad-scale transistor parasitics to kilofarad supercapacitor banks used in energy storage.
- Kilofarad (kF) — 10³ F — One thousand Farads; found in large supercapacitor (EDLC) arrays used for grid-level energy storage, regenerative braking systems, and UPS ride-through power.
- Farad (F) — base SI unit — The SI unit of capacitance, defined as one Coulomb per Volt (C/V). A conductor stores 1 F when 1 C of charge raises its potential by 1 V. Used directly in supercapacitors and large electrolytic capacitors in power systems.
- Millifarad (mF) — 10⁻³ F — Typical for large bulk-storage electrolytic capacitors in power supply designs. A 4700 µF electrolytic is equivalent to 4.7 mF and commonly appears in audio amplifier power stages.
- Microfarad (µF) — 10⁻⁶ F — The most common unit for electrolytic, tantalum, and large ceramic bypass and decoupling capacitors. Values from 0.1 µF to several thousand µF appear throughout power and audio electronics.
- Nanofarad (nF) — 10⁻⁹ F — Standard range for ceramic and film capacitors used in signal-coupling, RC filter networks, and timing circuits. A 100 nF (0.1 µF) MLCC is one of the most widely used bypass capacitors in digital circuits.
- Picofarad (pF) — 10⁻¹² F — The standard unit for RF tuning capacitors, oscillator load capacitors, and the specified input capacitance of logic gates and op-amps. PCB stray capacitance typically measures in the low picofarad range.
- Femtofarad (fF) — 10⁻¹⁵ F — Characterises junction capacitance in transistors, gate oxide capacitance in MOSFETs, and parasitic capacitance in nanometre-scale integrated circuits. Relevant in gigahertz signal-integrity and VLSI design.
Conversion Examples
The following examples cover the most common capacitance conversion scenarios encountered in circuit design and component selection:
- 100 nF → µF: 100 × (10⁻⁹ / 10⁻⁶) =
0.1 µF(MLCC bypass capacitor on a microcontroller VCC pin) - 4700 µF → mF: 4700 × (10⁻⁶ / 10⁻³) =
4.7 mF(electrolytic bulk-storage capacitor in an audio power supply) - 22 pF → nF: 22 × (10⁻¹² / 10⁻⁹) =
0.022 nF(crystal load capacitor for a 16 MHz oscillator) - 1 F → µF: 1 × (1 / 10⁻⁶) =
1,000,000 µF(1 F supercapacitor expressed in microfarads) - 500 fF → pF: 500 × (10⁻¹⁵ / 10⁻¹²) =
0.5 pF(MOSFET gate capacitance in a nanometre-process IC)
Capacitance in Electronics and Circuit Design
Capacitance is the ability of a component to store electrical charge. When a voltage V is applied across a capacitor with capacitance C, the stored charge is Q = C × V. The energy stored is E = ½ × C × V², making capacitors essential energy-storage elements in everything from camera flashes to electric vehicle power systems.
In filter and timing circuits, capacitors work in combination with resistors and inductors to select or reject frequency bands. The impedance of a capacitor is Z = 1 / (2πfC), which decreases as frequency rises. A 100 nF capacitor presents about 1.6 kΩ at 1 kHz but only 16 Ω at 100 kHz — this frequency-dependent behaviour underpins RC low-pass filters, resonant LC tanks, and AC coupling networks.
In power supply design, large electrolytic capacitors in the microfarad-to-millifarad range smooth rectified DC by charging during voltage peaks and discharging into the load between peaks. Decoupling capacitors in the nanofarad-to-microfarad range suppress high-frequency switching noise on power rails, keeping digital logic glitch-free.
At RF and microwave frequencies, picofarad-scale capacitors tune resonant circuits, match impedances, and bypass RF signals to ground. Even femtofarad-level parasitic capacitances in IC interconnects affect signal propagation speed and power consumption in multi-gigahertz processors.
Key Features of This Tool
- Instant real-time conversion — results update automatically as you type, with no button press required.
- Swap units — reverse the From/To direction with one click to immediately see the inverse conversion factor.
- Show all units — toggle on a complete reference table showing the input value simultaneously in all seven capacitance units.
- Adjustable precision — set decimal places from 0 to 10; the tool automatically uses scientific notation for extreme values.
- Negative value warning — displays a notice when a negative capacitance is entered, flagging that the value is non-physical for standard passive components.
- Copy result — copy the converted value or the full all-units table to the clipboard with one click.